People, such as military and law enforcement personnel, involved in cold-weather operations or activities, are best equipped with clothing that provides protection from the environmental elements, such as low temperatures, wind, rain and snow, and protection from other hazards, such as rough terrain, fire, enemy assault, etc. Desirably, such clothing does not interfere with a person's ability to perform required tasks, such as tasks that demand agility and physical exertion.
Conventionally, clothing designed for cold-weather operations, i.e., winter garments, was stiff and bulky, and often interfered with a person's movements. For example, conventional winter garments worn by soldiers in military operations often impeded the soldier's ability to move rapidly, readily access weapons or other equipment, and be comfortable in cramped spaces.
Additionally, some conventional winter garments had other disadvantages. For example, some winter garment designs led to heat stress and exhaustion during activities involving high physical exertion. This is due in part to the insulation and breathability properties of the winter garment. For example, certain conventional winter garment designs have proper insulation and breathability properties for stationary or low-exertion activities, but are overly insulated and/or inadequately breathable for high-exertion activities. Also, some conventional winter garment designs trap moisture during physical activities. Trapped moisture can dampen the winter garment, any underlying garment(s), and the wearer, which increases the risk of cold stress or even hypothermia after completion of such activities.
To avoid at least some of the above shortcomings, a second type of winter garment was designed to breathe, move or wick moisture away from the skin, and keep soldiers warm and relatively dry during periods of exertion. Although the second type of winter garment was an improvement over previous designs, it too had several disadvantages. For example, when worn with other gear or garments, such as body armor vests, the second type of winter garment often provided too much insulation and caused heat stress during physical activities. Personnel such as soldiers commonly don a body armor vest over the torso portion of their winter garments. Although not specifically designed to provide insulation, body armor vests provide a latent insulation to the torso, or core, portion of the body. Because the second type of winter garment was designed to provide equal amounts of insulation on the torso and sleeve portions of the garment, the garment did not take into account the extra insulation afforded by the armor. In other words, a user wearing both the second type of winter garment and a body armor vest was often overly insulated about his or her torso, which often negatively affected the user's core temperature and increased the risk of heat stress.
One solution to over-insulating the torso is to forgo wearing a winter garment. Although the body armor would provide some insulation and protection from the elements on the torso, the soldier's arms would be exposed to the elements. Therefore, to provide adequate insulation and protection of the torso and arms in cold weather conditions, a soldier is provided with few options other than wearing the second type of winter garment and body armor vest together, and risking over-insulating, and thus overheating, the core of the body.
Another shortcoming of known winter garments, as well as many warm weather or summer garments, is a lack of adequate protection from flame hazards. Flame hazards exist in many varieties and situations for a variety of personnel, such as, for example, soldiers encountering roadside or suicide bombs, or positioned at high profile targets, as well as aviators, fuel handlers and combat vehicle crewman engaged in various activities. Typically, garments designed to provide flame resistance often sacrifice certain desirable characteristics, such as comfort, functionality, breathability, stretchability, and compactness, for protection.